What to know about Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert

FILE -A Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle Discovery that landed on Oct. 24, takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, bound for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Nov. 2, 2000, in Southern California's Mojave Desert. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

2026-06-16T04:12:20Z

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — For decades, a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert has been a hotbed of some of the most innovative flight research in the U.S.

From a test pilot breaking the sound barrier to a space shuttle touching down, aviation history has often been made at Edwards Air Force Base, about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles.

There has also been tragedy, like the one that unfolded Monday when a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at the base and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard.

Here’s a closer look at Edwards Air Force Base and some of its notable moments:

History made at the base

Within months of officials establishing a permanent base to train combat flight crews at the vast desert site, it made history.

In 1942, test pilot Bob Stanley flew the U.S.'s first jet-powered aircraft. He took off from the base’s dry lake bed that served as a naturally long runway, which was vital for the first-generation turbojet engines known for “flaming out,” according to the base.

Five years later, the site was where Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager pushed an orange, bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocket plane to a speed of Mach 1.05 and broke the sound barrier, achieving a major aviation milestone. His feat was kept secret for about a year when the world thought the British had broken the sound barrier first.

The 1960s brought the fastest manned airplane — reaching Mach 6.72 — and the first airplane to fly above 314,000 feet (95.7 kilometers), earning its pilot astronaut wings, according to the base.

In 1981, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen landed the Space Shuttle Columbia on that same dry lake bed, making history as the first orbiting space vehicle to leave Earth using rocket power and come back on an aircraft’s wings.

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Base remains at the cutting edge of flight research

Described as an “irreplaceable national asset,” these days Edwards Air Force Base remains at the center of a significant portion of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts.

All Air Force aircraft are tested there, along with some Navy and Army aircraft, according to the base.

“Arguably, more major milestones in flight have occurred at this base than anywhere else in the world,” according to the base.

It’s run by the 412th Test Wing, which also conducts developmental testing of Air Force weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their life span.

In 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with a new, modernized radar system. A test team planned to conduct ground and flight test activities on the aircraft. It was unclear if that was the same aircraft involved in Monday’s crash.

Tragedy strikes during test mission

The B-52 bomber crashed during a routine test mission on Monday, according to military officials. The aircraft was supporting the “radar modernization program,” Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference.

The people on board included government contractors and uniformed military. There were two employees of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the company confirmed.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. An investigation is underway.